THURSDAY, AUGUST 25
MUSIC Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter “Radio” Raheem Devaughn and singer, poet and actor W. Ellington Felton, DC natives and each creative giants in their own right, join forces as the Cross Rhodes. The hard-hitting soul, hip-hop and R&B duo is performing songs from their new record, Footprints on the Moon, at Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage tonight. Free, 6 PM.
COMEDY Actor and comedian Ron Funches kicks off what promises to be a hilarious six-performance run through Aug. 28 at DC Improv. You can currently catch Funches in the NBC series Undateable as well as on a host of comedy shows, including Bob’s Burgers, Drunk History, and Comedy Central’s @midnight with Chris Hardwick. $22-$25, 7:30 PM.
WATCH AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center celebrates the 45th anniversary of one of late, great, director King Hu’s most well-known “wuxia” flicks, A Touch of Zen, with a one-time showing of the film’s a 4K restoration. Wuxia directly translates to “martial hero,” and is a genre centered on marital arts in ancient China. The film follows a noblewoman on the run who meets a band of Buddhist monks who are just as well-versed in martial arts as she is. A must-watch if you’re into girl power and visually stunning fight scenes. $13, 7:30 PM.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26
ART Carl Van Vechten’s work could have been destroyed by now—his mid-century images of Harlem Renaissance figures were stored on brittle nitrate negatives. They were saved by a last-minute conversion to handmade gravure prints, allowing the Smithsonian to exhibit portraits of Ella Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, and others, all featured in their exhibit “Harlem Heroes: Photographs by Carl Van Vechten” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Van Vechten, also an author and social commentator, captured many of these legends in their youth before stardom. The exhibit runs until March 19. Free.
ENTERTAINMENT Put your patriotism and love of trivia to use participating in America the Game Show. F*ck Yeah!, at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre. This interactive show, inspired by The Price Is Right and shows from the ’70s and ’80s, promises all the standards: games, trivia, and participation from audience members. $20, 8 PM.
DANCE Pull out the skinny jeans, black eyeliner, your best trucker hat and frosted-tipped hair: the 2000s are back at 9:30 Club’s Hot In Herre: 2000s Dance Party. Expect all the songs you love to hate and are embarrassed to admit you still love from acts like Nelly, Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child, and The Killers. $16, 9 PM.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27
MUSIC Last year’s Trillectro Music Festival featured the the now-omnipresent Chance the Rapper, so in addition to main act Kid Cudi be sure to check out the rest of the acts performing at Merriweather Post Pavilion as they’re very likely to be the next big thing. One group to watch is Rae Sremmurd, who you may know from the 2014 club jam “No Flex Zone.” $65- $125, noon.
FESTIVAL Spend the afternoon getting to know the shops and restaurants around Dupont Circle as well as more than 50 artists and vendors from the rest of the city at the seventh annual 17th Street Festival. Plus, be on the lookout for roving entertainment ranging from mariachi, a New Orleans jazz band, Chinese dragon dancer and a dog parade. Free, noon.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 28
FAIR The DC State Fair celebrates the best of the city’s food, art and agriculture. Along with the usual contest categories like best pie and pickled vegetables, there are definitely things you won’t likely see outside of our beloved region,such as a best Mumbo Sauce category or, cough, “Best Bud.” Free, 11 AM.
EAT AND DANCE Capital Fringe is honoring the Chop Bar , a “local West African phrase for makeshift small restaurants where people gather over food, music and positive vibes” by making their own for area residents. Enjoy cocktails, Caribbean food, and a live DJ for a fun, festive way to end the weekend. $40, 3 PM.
